dans le bleu
by Rocku
Summary: It's been two months and counting since Ahsoka has become Bane's hostage, and it's just about driving her stir crazy. When he comes back to his ship one night with a strange request for her, will their relationship change for the better, or worse?
1. la nuit

**Title: dans le bleu**

chapter rating: T (Teen)

word count: 2,344

original written date: 3/15/210

Summary: _Every girl wants to play dress up. And every girl wants a cowboy._

_It's been two months and counting since Ahsoka has become Bane's hostage, and it's just about driving her stir crazy. When he comes back to his ship one night with a strange proposition for her, will their relationship change for the better, or worse?_

* * *

Ahsoka had been through every cabinet, closet, and cupboard in the bounty hunter's living quarters, but couldn't seem to find anything that would hint to the combination on the door. He had punched it in quick before leaving for the night, and that's just what he did; leave. He went to go do whatever he did during the night hours, which Ahsoka only presumed, was less than savory activity. He had said, "I'm going out," and that was that. To be honest, she was surprised he even said anything at all. Usually he just grabbed his coat and his hat and that was it. But tonight, a whole three words.

She had been his 'hostage' for a whole two months now. She used the word 'hostage' lightly because it wasn't a terribly 'hostage like' situation. He just dragged her along with him, and locked her up inside his ship whenever he went out. It was bizarre but as long as her life wasn't in danger, she would ride with it and see how it played out. Patience. The jedi way.

Out of boredom she opened his fridge. She had already gone through it a good number of times since he left, but what would one more look around hurt. It was the same old crap in it now as there was an hour ago: beer, beer, more beer, a plate of bones for some reason, and an old apple. It didn't look edible. She took a bite out of it anyway, and then put it back. She couldn't really do anything to him without her light saber, and that jerk; he had pawned it while on Coruscant. So of course any little pleasures she could get out of annoying him she would take. Childish? Yes. But it was all she had left.

She fell into a spinning chair she found in the corner, and then rolled herself around the room. She had learned long ago that she and boredom did not mix. It was too early to hit the hay, she reasoned, silently loathing the bounty hunter for leaving her in this predicament. Was he trying to kill her with boredom? Was THAT his plan? She actually found herself considering it for a minute or two, but then dismissed it. Not because it was ridiculous, but because she was quite sure Bane never really had a plan.

She was trying to see how fast she could spin before getting nauseous when she heard the main door to the ship open. She glanced over at the blinking clock in the room's terminal, and found he hadn't been gone for a very long time.

She heard the familiar clank of his boots as he made his way to the living quarters. She twirled in the chair a little bit, but kept her eyes to the ground. The door swooshed open, sounding like a gust of wind, and in he sauntered, having to bend over a little to keep his head from hitting the door frame. He tossed his hat onto the bed, and then began to take off his duster, but before he did he had to place down what he was holding; the nashtah hide parcel with the big strap. He placed it down more gently tonight, as apposed to throwing it over in the corner of the room like she'd seen him do many other times. He stripped off the duster and tossed it on the back of the chair before finally looking over at her for the first time since he arrived.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, little girl?"

She gritted her teeth, her mouth becoming nothing more than a thin line. He really knew what buttons to push.

"It's eight thirty."

He ignored her, which was typical. He opened the fridge and grabbed a beer, and then proceeded to open it with his teeth, something she'd seen him do more times than she would have liked. She was hoping he would notice the bite taken out of the apple, her need to get back at him growing by the second. He didn't. He just closed the fridge and took a seat in front of the room's terminal, plopping his feet up on the table and turning it on. The blue light illuminated the otherwise dimly lit room, making it seem smaller than it already was. He didn't look over at her once. Ahsoka reasoned she could have very well been on fire when he came back to the ship and he would have greeted her in the same manner. And so began another evening like most of her others during the past two months. Ahsoka would stare at the wall of the Xanadu's cramped living quarters, pretending to be somewhere else.

* * *

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when Bane suddenly switched the screen off. She guessed maybe an hour. She had been sitting in the spinning chair, just daydreaming about what she could be doing if she was back at the temple. Probably nothing incredibly interesting, although the idea was still much more appealing than being in the ship. She found it odd that her mind wandered into an extended version of her daydream, wondering what would happen if she started a food fight one day in the mess hall. She was so preoccupied imaging Barriss with pudding on her face that she almost didn't notice Bane get up and switch the overhead lights on. She blinked at the sudden intrusion to her eyes, and then shook her head, clearing her thoughts. When her eyes adjusted, she saw Bane much closer than she would have liked, pulling a chair over in front of her. Her first reaction was to back away, or in this case, roll the chair back a few feet, and she was embarrassed to find out her body acted on it. She thought she could control her instincts by now, and was a little disturbed by the thought that her subconscious still saw Bane as a threat.

He looked shocked for only a second, and Ahsoka had just enough time to think how strange that expression looked on him, before he frowned and bared his teeth in a growl, annoyed.

"Knock it off," he grabbed the bottom of the chair and rolled her closer to him, her body tensing up. She had no idea what he was doing, and that freaked her out more than she wanted to admit. "I'm not gonna bite." Here he bared his teeth at her, those sharp, yellow daggers. At first she thought he was trying to smile, but then he snapped them together once, loud, making her jump. He let out a throaty bark of laughter.

Jerk.

"Look here," he began to dig around in his pants pocket, just underneath the chaps and just above his holsters, which he still had on for some reason. His thin, boney fingers emerged holding a crumpled up paper. It looked like it could have been elegant at one point, like a wedding invitation or something, but now it just looked like garbage. A receipt or a wrapper or something. His face dropped for a second, taking into consideration how much of a beating it took. Then, as quick as that happened his expression cleared, and he held it out for her to take.

She looked at the paper and then back at him. She lifted her hand slowly and made a move to retrieve it, but as her fingers brushed up against it he snatched it back a few feet, holding it just out of reach. She looked at him, a little shocked, and saw he was trying his hardest to keep from smirking. But his eyes were dancing and held a teasing air.

"You can read, can'tchu?"

She huffed, and folded her arms over her chest. He chuckled, and held out the paper again. She turned her head completely away from him, aware she was acting like a melodramatic three year old, but way past the point of caring. He crumpled the paper into a ball, and tossed it lightly at her chest. It hit with a light thud and then fell directly into her lap. She snatched it up quick, opened it up, smoothed it out. She would admit, she was curious.

She could feel his eyes watching her as she read, which made it difficult to concentrate on the words in front of her. When she read who it was from, however, she found her attention could not be averted. She even read it over again a few times, her mouth hanging open.

"This... this is..."

"Mmm." He agreed. He leaned back in his chair and crossed one long leg over the other, his hands intertwined behind his head. He had produced a perfectly hand rolled cigarette from somewhere, and it was now dangling limply from his lips, unlit. " 'Dose hutts..." he clucked his tongue. "Formal when 'dey want to be."

"Where did you get this?"

He fished around in his breast pocket for a second, and emerged with a match. He flicked his callous thumb over the tip and it burst into a perfect blue flame.* He lit, shook the match dead, and threw it somewhere on the floor.

" 'Dey always have one of 'deir whores working on 'de inside..." He took a drag, blew out a long puff of smoke slowly, a little closer to her face than she would have liked. He removed the cigarette from his chapped lips, turned it over in his hand once, then put it back in his mouth. He let it hang there for a minute, and when Ahsoka was almost positive he wasn't going to elaborate, he continued.

"...wherever you happen to be. 'Dis particular bird works at Zuko's, just down 'de street. Also works for 'de hutts, apparently."

Zuko's. Ahsoka assumed he was talking about a bar. Or a gentleman's club.

He sat still for a minute, shifting the cigarette from one side of his mouth to the other.

"She worked me over a few times, too..."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. Well, that solved that mystery.

He snatched the invitation back quickly, right before snuffing his cigarette out on the table.

"Will you go?"

Will he go. That was the real question. If anyone could throw a party, it would be the hutts. He got up from the chair slowly, made his way over to the large windows that covered one wall of the ship's living quarters and looked out at the docking bay.

"I never have in 'de past."

At this, Ahsoka found herself rising from her chair. She stared at the back of his head. This was getting interesting.

"Wait... they've asked you before?"

"Mmm Hmmm."

"How many times?" She was interested now, she couldn't deny it.

He grumbled. "Ever since I busted Ziro out." He straightened, clasped his hands behind his back. She could hear the smile in his voice. "I guess 'dey thought I did a bang up job."

Ahsoka was engrossed. The hutts liked Bane? Well, of course they would. He's exactly the type of individual they would like. She was even a little surprised they hadn't tried to initiate him yet. For all she knew, they had.

"This is a strange profession." He continued. "It shouldn't be glamorous, and yet..."

Ahsoka could see his reflection in the window, could see him furrow his prominent brow in a puzzling sort of expression. But the mention of his 'chosen career' brought her spirits down, and she found herself a little irked. Profession? She supposed theft and extortion could be considered a profession, but the more she dwelled on it the more irritated she became.

"So what?" she asked finally. "Either go or don't go. Why are you telling me?"

When she glanced up, she found he had turned his head from the window and was now looking at her, an unimaginably large grin plastered on his face. Her stomach flipped.

"Bane?"

He began walking toward her, and she involuntarily took a few steps back.

"I never fit in at 'dose kinds of 'tings..." he began, still moving forward, still smiling, except his grin somehow seemed wider, his eyes more narrow. Nothing more than plotting slits of red.

She backed up into the table, which caught her off guard. In that moment, he picked up his pace toward the young padawan, and made an attempt to grab her. She squeaked, and dashed to the other side of the table, the circular eating surface now the only thing between them. When she moved left, he moved right, when she moved right, he moved left.

"What are you doing?" She shrieked.

"Too noisy, too many people in your business..." he continued, elaborating his dislike for those certain types of parties. "However," and here, he put both hands on the surface of the table, and leaned across it, placing his face inches away from her own. She caught a whiff of his breath, spicy, with the lingering aftermath of nicotine.

"However," he continued, "I've never had 'de right person to accompany me."

The young Togruta's eyes widened. She didn't like where this was headed.

"Wh... where do I fit in with this?" She was afraid to ask, but her curiosity got the better of her.

His sinister grin was at it's peak, rows of yellow teeth twinkling like forbidden stars. She could practically see the gears turning in his head, his plan coming to fruition.

"You're going to be my date."

...

* * *

A/N: (*) Homage to the character Blondie from _The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly._


	2. dans ma tête

A/N: I can count on one hand the number of times I've written an action scene, so bear with me if it isn't quite up to par. Also a few more warnings apply. This chapter is a little darker, with some adult-ish situations. Nothing too bad, you'll be fine.

Thanks to every one who reviewed chapter one. Keep 'em coming!

* * *

Dans le bleu

ch. two

Every girl wants to play dressup. And every girl wants a cowboy.

.

* * *

_Two months, nine days ago, 'The Works,' Coruscant, nine seventeen PM_

_._

Any other time she would have listened.

Any other time she would have been horrified to lose track of his voice, to find his footfalls growing more and more distant behind her. She could remember vaguely making out his scream as he called out her name, before it was swallowed up by the wind. He had called for her before, many times. But what she heard in his voice then, she could do without hearing again for the rest of her life. It was like he could see the end. It was like he knew before she did that this was the last time they would fight side by side.

_' Stop. Please stop. I'm not ready to lose you.'_

They had been tracking Bane for two days straight, so she could chock up her gung-ho attitude to lack of sleep mixed with a sudden burst of adrenaline at catching a glimpse of his wide brimmed hat past some construction rafters four stories above the ground. He had been dodging them in and out of abandoned factories, and then, like any trapped creature would do, he resorted to higher ground.

"He's trapped," she had said. "I can go to the top; he'll be cornered, and then you can..."

"No," she felt his strong hand encircle the top of her arm, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Even through the fabric of his glove she could feel the energy he was releasing course through her body. And for some reason, it calmed her.

"We'll do this together. Have patience."

The jump from one rafter to the other was a long one, but once Ahsoka found her footing she felt unstoppable as she flew from one height to the next, following her master. It took them no time to reach the level they had last seen Bane, but even before reaching it they had become aware of the bounty hunter's intentions. Coming face to face with it only confirmed their suspicions.

Bane had placed his hat delicately on a lone construction beam, it's wide brim shifting it slightly in the powerful wind currents, hundreds of feet in the air.

Ahsoka picked it up, not sensing any trap behind it, just a diversion and a last minute resort to buy a few more seconds of time. She turned it around in her hands.

"We'll go around either side," Anakin had said, having to raise his voice to be heard over the howling wind. "He couldn't have gotten-"

A loud clang echoed above them, and a piece of rafter fell, barely missing the two jedi before it plummeted to the world bellow. They looked up, and saw the back of their target, pulling himself up to a separate level, coat tails flailing wildly in the wind.

Ahsoka dropped the hat, barely noticed when a powerful gust took it away.

And she was off.

"Ah-!" her master called out, but before he could finish it was swallowed up by the wind. All Ahsoka could hear was her own heart, pounding and hammering in her chest, the blood rushing in her ears as she jumped from rafter to rafter, the only thing going through her mind was Bane.

She could see him now. They had made it to the top of the construction tower, the pinnacle. He stood with his back toward her, his attention focused on the city, and an ominous red light from the lights and spacecrafts in the sky that surrounded the outline of his body. He was out of breath; she could tell even without seeing his face. His age was catching up to him, and she felt a smug satisfaction at that moment towards her youth and mobility. It served her well this night. She moved forward with unwavering confidence.

"Drop your weapons, it's over."

His shoulders moved once, twice. He shook his head. She knew he was laughing, and she took great pleasure in knowing he wouldn't be for very long. Not if she had anything to say about it. She continued forward as he turned toward her for the first time. One of his eyes caught a quick glint from the lights of a passing vessel overhead, and for a split second it cast a brilliant sheen off the already deep, crimson orb. Her breath hitched, but only for a moment. As quick as it came it was gone.

A ghost of a smirk still played on his chapped lips, but soon faded into an emotionless stare at the sight of the young padawan. She continued.

"I said, drop your…"

He reached steadily for his two blasters, and Ahsoka flinched slightly at his movements, not expecting him to follow directions this intently. He took one out from his holster, and then another one he kept secured snugly against his back. He looked down at them, facing her completely now, and spun them in his hands in three perfect circles. He looked up, holding blasters he was refusing to relinquish, his body a perfect, stoic pyramid. His expression daring. Taunting.

_Try Me._

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, tightened her lips. As he lifted one of his blasters from where they rested by his side, she brought her lightsaber to life, continuing her trek towards the lone ranger on the edge of the sky rise.

When Bane fired the first shot, Ahsoka was prepared. She lifted up her weapon in order to deflect it, knowing from years of practice exactly which angle to tilt the saber to have the blast circle back. To say she was shocked when the blast sped past her would be an understatement. She heard it deflect off of something behind her, and spun around just in time to see her master lower his own weapon. His forehead was slick with perspire, his eyes filled wide with apprehension, fright, and something she had never seen in them before. Hopelessness. She knew why soon enough.

She had just enough time to see him dash forward before she felt something whip tightly around her neck.

"…no…" she barely had time to even whisper.

Bane reeled in his electro whip and Ahsoka was propelled violently backwards, her head spinning, her breath knocked clean out of her lungs. In a matter of seconds her back crashed into something hard, and she felt a quick exhale of hot breath on the nape of her neck. She shuddered, and then gagged violently as he tightened his hold on the whip around her neck. In front of her she could see her master sprint forward for a brief amount of time, then come to a violent halt, his boots squeaking on the rooftop and his eyes filled with utter despair. When she felt the barrel of the blaster on her temple, she understood why.

"Stay where you are!" Bane roared. Ahsoka could barely get enough air into her body. She watched her master, watched him stand still for a second, and then cautiously take a few steps forward. Bane pressed the barrel harder into her forehead, making her cry out. Anakin stopped suddenly.

"…don't-"

"Then do as I say." Bane cocked the gun, the sound made Ahsoka's stomach drop.

"Put your weapon down." Bane ordered. Her master complied. Bane let go of the whip for a second, keeping the blaster firmly against her temple as he searched for something on his weapon belt. Ahsoka kept her eyes on Anakin, his shaking body, his horrified face. She tried to smile slightly, to put him at ease. It didn't work. She heard a loud pop and a whistling noise, and then something clang and attach to the next building over.

A grappling hook. She wondered why she didn't see it before.

She felt a strong arm encircle her waist, the metal from his wrist device pushing into her exposed stomach making her shudder. With the blaster holstered away, Anakin made a run for it. He moved to her as fast as his legs could carry him, but it was all for naught. Bane mock-saluted him, before jumping over the edge, taking Ahsoka with him.

.

* * *

.

_2 months, 3 days ago_

It wasn't the electric anklet that annoyed her the most, though she had to admit it was very uncomfortable. No, it was the snoring. She glared at him from across the room, at his body propped casually in a chair. There were so many things that should have infuriated her at that moment, maybe being trapped at the hands of this bounty scum, or maybe the fact that he had the nerve to pawn her lightsaber. Her lightsaber… her beautiful weapon. She put so much of herself into it, so much love and care. And he pawned it. And not for very much either! She thought he would have gotten more for it, but no. He made it perfectly clear how little he was paid for it, reveling in her anger and hurt at his cold words.

But all of that was a static drone in the back of her mind. All she could think about at that moment, all she could hear, was the snoring. She grit her teeth from her spot on his bed, staring at his lanky body spread out in the chair. His boots propped up on a table, still dripping mud and water from when he went out earlier. His hat resting lightly over his face, his one hand resting comfortably over his ribs. His other hand hung limply over the chair, his long skeleton like fingers practically brushing the floor.

There was something about those hands, the instruments that caused her so much pain lying there limply, like some dead spider. He must have been sound asleep.

She didn't register her body moving, at least not right away, not until she was halfway across the room, closer to him now than she was before. She contemplated fleeing while she was in this state, pondering briefly on whether or not she could make it out of his ship. The door to the bedroom was lifted halfway, letting a thick bar of light in, but she doubted if the main door of the ship wasn't sounded with some alarm. An alarm that would go off from her anklet. He would catch her, but she had to try. She began to move closer to the door before an idea struck her, and she back tracked over to him again.

Standing over him, the urge to impale him with her now lost lightsaber shocked and appalled her. She could control her basic urges, but a jedi was supposed to embrace non-violent confrontation as much as possible. Killing someone in their sleep wasn't exactly a noble thing to do. Still, no one could invoke utter rage in her as much as the duros sleeping in that chair.

She moved closer, slowly, until she could reach out and touch his face if she so desired. Instead, her eyes traveled to his belt, and attached from it where it had been for these past few months, was her padawan braid.

He had tugged it violently from her headtails the night they first met, and put it on his belt as if it was a prize he had won.

The memory infuriated her, and she scrunched her mouth together in a thin line just remembering it. It wasn't his. She deserved to get it back.

She cautiously moved her hand closer to it, in an attempt to remove it and take back what was rightfully hers. His hand shifted suddenly from over his chest, causing her to freeze. His hand slid down until it was just over his belt. Just next to her hand. Her heart pounded in her chest, the fear slowly dispersing when she found out he was still asleep. Days…. even weeks from now she'll remember that movement. It will pop into her head when she least expects it to. Cad Bane moving his hand down his own body. Resting it on his belt. But for now, it was the furthest thing from her mind. Right now, she just wanted to get back what was rightfully hers.

Her hand was finally close enough to touch it now; and she did. The smooth and cool texture calmed her, and she began to work on unfastening it. The beads clinked together once, and she panicked. In her haste to remove them quickly, she moved too fast, and accidently brushed against his leg.

His eyes shot open, and his hand moved instinctively to his blaster, his head whipping towards her general direction. Ahsoka didn't dare sprint away. She couldn't even if she wanted to, his gaze had frozen her. It was like looking directly into the barrel of a blaster.

When he acknowledged it was her, his eyes widened even farther in surprise in catching her this close. He looked irritated, and he opened his mouth to say something, but stopped upon looking down and finding her hand around the padawan braid.

Ahsoka had never seen anything get so bad so fast in all her life. She had just enough time to see his jaw stiffen in rage before she was spun around violently. She was now staring in the opposite direction, and began to wonder how that happened when her thoughts were cut short at a violent pressure against her back. The wind was knocked out of her; she hit her head, and the next thing she knew, the top half of her body was being pressed against the table, something strong pushing into her back preventing her from lifting herself. She thought fast, she tried to clear her head. It was him. He was holding her down. _He was lying on top of her._

She panicked, tried to explain herself. She couldn't get enough air into her lungs.

"I didn't-I wasn't! I… I…!"

"Shut up." He pushed harder on top of her, messing with her head, trying to make her as uncomfortable as possible.

"I'm sorry!-I'm sorry!-I'm sorry!" When did she become this way? The thought wandered through her head as she felt tears leak down her cheeks. _When did I become this weak?_

Bane grabbed her back headtail and yanked it. She screeched in pain, her head being lifted off the table closer to his face. She heard his voice in her ear, felt his hot breath.

"Awww…. Poor youngling." She swore she could almost feel his lips on her skin. She shuddered violently.

"You wanted your padawan braid back." He chuckled cruelly. "Well I-"

Here he stopped as a peculiar sensation finally registered in his brain. Ahsoka knew that's what it was, because she could feel it too. More than anything else it was the one thing her mind kept focusing on throughout this whole ordeal. His forearm pushing her into the table holding her down, his hand clutching her headtail painfully…. These factors didn't compare to the terrifying situation happening to their bodies….. further down.

The force of Bane pulling her back by her headtail caused her body to shift, and she was now pushing up against him much more than she would have liked to. His pelvis pushed deeply into the groove of her back, and she could feel everything. His belt buckle, the folds in his clothing, the _heat…_

It was the one thing no one in the Republic would talk to her about, but she had seen enough holovids to get the basic idea. It fascinated her, but also made her a little nauseated. It was such a new and strange sensation; she couldn't help being drawn to the idea of sex.

But this was different. Bane being this close to her, and in this way, was terrifying. She couldn't stop shaking, and she couldn't keep from being utterly embarrassed. She just stayed perfectly still, hoping to the gods he would let her up.

But he didn't. He stayed that way, pushing on top of her, breathing heavily. A ridiculous thought occurred to her. Could he have actually fallen asleep again? She moved her head to the side to try and get a look at his face, regretting that decision immediately. The movement caused her body to shift back and up slightly, her much more private area now pushing even harder into his pelvis. She froze, barely breathing when she felt it. It happened quickly, but a strange noise came from him suddenly, and he hissed through his teeth. She knew _exactly _what it meant. She scrunched her eyes tight, praying it would be over soon. She was shocked when he threw her suddenly down on to the table. She gasped, then spun around, barely catching him as he grabbed his hat from off the floor, storming out of the room. She heard the front door to the ship open, and then close, locking violently behind him.

She stood there shaking for what seemed like forever, focusing on one particular spot on the wall. Then, as if drained of everything, she collapsed onto the floor. She wondered briefly how hot Bane's shower got before plummeting into sleep.

* * *

.


	3. intermède

_dans le bleu (in the blue)_

_ch. 3_

_rating: T_

_**WARNINGS:** Bane goes kinda nutso here. Bad language ahead. I'm not bumping it to M though, I don't think it warrants an M rating. Just heed the warning_

A/N: Thanks so much to all who reviewed chapters one and two. The feedback and response was greater than I ever could have imagined.

bookaholic226: Yup, the bad guys always get the most love, heh heh. Thanks for reviewing!

hoysterrule123: Thank you!

zedax: I'm blushing! XD Thanks so much!

Blackrose: I adored your feedback and was so happy to know how much you enjoyed the chapters! I'll certainly try to make them longer! XD

DarthMii: Thank you!

hop-skip-n.a.-jump: I'm so glad you are enjoying it! Thanks for the wonderful feedback!

Lynny: Ah, Lynny. What can I say. Out of the top ten reasons I keep writing, you're number one. Love ya, babe.

* * *

_Every girl wants to play dressup. And every girl wants a cowboy._

…

* * *

_She locked herself in the bathroom again_

_So I am pissing in the yard_

_I have to laugh when I think how far it's gone_

_But things aren't funny anymore_

_I drew a line into the dirt_

_And dared her to step right across it_

_And she did_

_

* * *

_

…

_Present time, 10:16 PM, Bane's ship_

...

Ahsoka took one look at the dress before bolting into the fresher and locking the door.

Of course Bane saw this about to happen. He made a leap to grab her, although what he would do if he caught her he didn't know. He was never one for patience (nor gentleness) when it came to his women, but he prided himself in his ability to keep his composure at least somewhat stable at times. It certainly helped in his chosen profession.

But this girl….. he had never met anyone that could push him the way she did.

He made a dash to block the door with his leg or with his arm, but she was too quick and he just ended up slamming against it in a rather embarrassing ballet of limbs.

"Stang…" he hissed through his teeth, rubbing his knee in the spot where he banged it. He was still holding the dress, he realized. The airy red material was balled tightly in his fist, and he threw it across the room, not bothering to watch where it landed. He took a few steady breaths and placed his hands flat against the door, trying to calm down. It wouldn't do any good to bang on it until his fists were raw and bloody, though if she didn't start behaving reasonably he wasn't quite sure he would be able to help himself. He licked his chapped lips.

"Open 'de door."

"No!" She screeched. He could hear the quiver in her voice and could practically see the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. He held no compassion for her, and he certainly had no patience left. He clenched his teeth so hard he was sure they would shatter. But Ahsoka, unfortunately, continued.

"You think I would even consider being your 'date!'" She spit the word like it was acid in her mouth. "I won't wear a… a dress you bought with ill-gotten credits! I hate you!" She sniffed and coughed, yet pressed on.

"You're just a….. a dirty, old….. pervert!"

Oh. That did it.

He punched the door three times, with more strength than he thought he had inside him. He heard her scream, a quick and frightened exhale that sounded almost like a sob.

"Open dis fucking door! You bitch!" He punched it a fourth time but immediately regretted that decision.

"Shit!" He brought his hand back and saw that the skin over the knuckles had split. The sight of it made his rage tenfold. He began to slam the side of his body into the door, relishing in the way that it shook the room yet disappointed he wasn't leaving a dent. He banged harder.

"You 'tink I've never broken down a door before?" He punctuated this with a swift and expertly aimed kick that sent the structure caving in slightly in the center. "Huh?" He kicked again, in the same spot, this time leaving a bigger dent.

"Stop!" Ahsoka screamed, seeing where the situation was slowly leading and dreading it. She had made him angry before and felt she could hold her own pretty well (even without a lightsaber), but even she had to admit this situation was different. She had never seen him so furious.

"You cunt!" His voice bellowed through the metallic interior of the ship, and he punctuated it with another sharp punch. "Fucking harpy!" A swift kick. The door was starting to go, Ahsoka could see that, but his crude comments were now fueling her anger rather than her fear. Before she could stop it, it jumped to the surface and took the reins.

"Go to hell!"

She could practically see him freeze mid punch.

"WHAT?" He demanded.

"Scum!" she screamed, all the while her brain telling her '_stop, stop. Oh for the love of the force stop.' _"Slime! Stupid, gross….. SLEEMO!"

Things were quiet for a second, and Ahsoka felt the slightest twinge of pride thinking she had left him speechless. Then she heard his heavy boots stomp quickly away and before she could even wonder where he could possibly be going, she heard him stomp back. She also heard the charging of a blaster.

"Bane!" she screamed, dropping to the floor right as three shots barreled right through the fresher door.

"What are you doing!" she cried. "Are you crazy!"

"I told you-" he yelled, firing again, "dat if you called me Sleemo ONE MORE TIME-", three more blasts, "I would blow dat pretty little head right off your shoulders!" He fired some more; blast after blast after blast.

"I thought you were kidding!" she tried to reason. The whole argument had taken a complete 180 in a vey short amount of time, and if she weren't so fearful of her safety, she would have found it ridiculously hilarious.

It seemed, however, that she didn't need to worry. As quick as Bane started firing, he stopped. She heard a medium sized object drop to the floor (his blaster, she reasoned), and almost immediately after, she heard something else. She strained her ears, not quite being able to tell what it was at first. As it grew with volume and intensity, however, it was unmistakable.

Cad Bane was laughing.

A strange sound to be sure. It wasn't as if she had never heard him laugh before, quite the opposite. Countless times he had chuckled darkly at her mistakes or just to be cruel, but she had never heard him like this. It was a….. nice sound. She could picture it reaching his eyes, and it surprised her to realize she would have loved to see his face at this moment.

"Are you-" he stopped again to laugh more, to catch his breath. His voice was shaking. "Are you alright?"

She looked around the fresher, at the various blaster holes and scorched items. There was a towel that caught on fire. She put it out.

"I'm fine…."

"Boy oh boy….." She heard him lean his back against the door, heard more laughing as he tried to catch his breath. "I need a kriffing drink…"

Heavy boot steps leaving; she heard various cups clinking together, metal against metal.

"Fine…" he called. She heard bottles being slammed down on a table. "You know what!" he continued, "you can just stay in 'dere!" Something being poured. She pictured him swigging that drink back like a pro. She heard the cup slam back down on the table, and then, more pouring.

Ahsoka sighed. Him getting this drunk might not be a bad thing, she reasoned. _'Maybe now he'll just pass out and leave me alone.'_

The cup slammed back down again. She heard him hiss through his teeth and then cough, and then, silence.

"I'm going to bed," he called after a few minutes, and she heard him walk over to the fresher door again. "You can sleep in 'dere." He kicked the side of it to accentuate his point.

She heard movement, shuffling around, things dropping. And then finally, silence.

….

After about an hour and a half Ahsoka had come to the conclusion that Bane was fast asleep. And even if he wasn't, she figured that the worst of his anger would have dissipated by now. At least she hoped.

She turned the light off and snuck out of the fresher. The room's terminal lit up the room enough for her to see where she was going. The lights from the docking bay coming through the small window helped as well.

She saw him then, sprawled out across his bed on his stomach, facing away from her. He had thrown his jacket, boots and holsters on the ground and just decided to sleep in everything else. She watched his back rise and fall slightly before turning away and moving over to one of the counters. She poured some water from a metal pitcher into her cupped palm and took a sip. Scanning the counter she saw an over turned glass and an impressively sized bottle of what she assumed Bane had been chugging down. She couldn't read the lable, but she recognized it as huttese.

She took her boots and her belt off, putting them in a pile in the corner. When she stood back up, her eye caught something hanging from one of the pipes. She got closer.

The red dress.

She was curious, she had to admit. She touched it. It was an airy and soft material; pretty. Almost transparent.

She huffed. Only Bane would think that would be classy; something shimmering and see-through. She had seen the beautiful models in those entertainment datapads and on the holo news wearing those types of dresses. They were gorgeous, expensive, and definitely "in." Her skin flushed much to her chagrin thinking about Bane picking out the ensemble. She had never had a man buy her a dress before, let alone one so risqué. Was he picturing her wearing it? Was he picturing her body barely covered up by the thin, shimmering material? And did he like what he imagined.

Her cheeks flushed. She liked thinking about a man seeing her in that way, but she didn't like knowing that man was Bane.

As if on cue, Ahsoka heard him clear his throat from behind her. She turned towards him and was a little surprised to see he had propped himself up on one elbow and was looking at her. He had sort of an amused expression, which calmed Ahsoka's nerves. At least he wasn't still angry.

"Sso you do like it…" he slurred.

Ahsoka realized she still had the material in her hands, and she let the portion she was holding drop back down onto the pipe as if it had burnt her. She bit her lip and swallowed, suddenly aware that the room's temperature had spiked dramatically. She turned toward Bane who was still looking at her, his mouth cocked in a strange smirk. Not condescending or sarcastic in any way, but not friendly either. Almost as if he were just curious. She gulped.

"I was just-"

"C'mere…" He motioned his pointer and middle finger toward himself.

Ahsoka really didn't want to go over to him, but if she refused he would more than likely go off the handle again. She slowly moved over to the bed, suddenly feeling very exposed, even more so when his eyes started to roam up and down her body. Then, as if drained of everything, he sighed and moved over on the bed, patting the space next to him.

"Get in."

She was shocked, to say the least. Either he was being uncharacteristically nice, or he had other ideas up his sleeve. When she had first been thrust into this situation about two months ago, she was surprised when he had offered her his bed for the times when they had to remain on the ship. Even more surprised when he opted to sleep in the navigation chair, or even on the floor, giving her the bed all to herself. It was gentlemanly, and it had greatly confused her. It was then during the times he would be exceptionally unreasonable or cruel that she would remind herself of that selfless gesture.

But then, of course, there would be times where she would piss him off and he would claim the bed back for himself, leaving her to forage around on her own for another place in the small ship to sleep. She would never dare during those nights to sneak in next to him while he slept; not that she would want to anyway. Even thinking about sleeping next to him made her skin clam up and her body shudder.

And now, looking at him, realizing he WASN'T going to leave the bed, she suddenly felt very close to panic.

She swallowed. "Um, that's okay… I'll just…"

His eyes narrowed. She saw his lip curl up on one side in a sneer, showing his sharp teeth. They glinted like wet rocks in the night. She felt the tips of his fingers pressing into her back and all she could think of at that moment was _'how did I not see him reach behind me?'_

Slowly, he began to pull her towards him. She didn't fight, she was too busy thinking about what she could do. She wondered why she was so frightened. What could he possibly do?

_Oh, lots of things_, her mind answered.

"I'll just… sleep in the chair…" she whispered, but her knees were already on top of the bed, sinking in. She realized she would be willing to do this, as long as it meant keeping him calm and avoiding another fight. She would be willing to do this, and nothing more.

She lay down slowly, but turned away from him, curling up slightly with her knees close to her chest. She was horrified to feel him spoon her almost instantly, putting his face near the back of her neck. It happened quickly, but feeling him that close and feeling his arm drape around her midsection had her heart hammering faster than it ever had before. She swallowed, gritting her teeth, shuddering violently when she felt his hot breath exhale on her skin. She got a whiff of it.

Force, he was drunk.

He must have felt her shiver, and he must have thought she was cold (instead of figuring out it was her body's only response to the utter wrongness of the situation), so he moved his hand up to her arm and began to rub it slowly in circles on her skin.

So it was creepy and wrong. If this was all he was going to do, Ahsoka figured she could handle it.

_'Just pass out already,'_ her mind begged.

No such luck. The hand that was only just previously taking up occupancy on her arm began to move down, lower. Still rubbing in gentle circles, it went slowly down her side, then to her hip, and then, lower still. It stopped when it reached the hem of her skirt, still slowly and gently petting. Ahsoka bit her lip. It began to dip under the hem.

"Bane-" she pleaded, putting her hand on top of his, gently, to persuade him to stop. She felt this tactic would be better, less likely to get him angry again. Although when Bane didn't get what he wanted, he usually ended up angry. Although he usually got what he wanted anyway, she figured.

_'But not this time.'_

Thank the stars his hand stopped. He just kept it on the hem of her skirt, moving his middle finger slowly back and forth on the ridge. She realized she still had her hand on top of his, and quickly removed it. She felt him shift, felt him move even closer.

"Why don'chu like me, pateesa?"

At the mention of the pet name, her face and her chest flushed a deep crimson. She had only been called that a few times before, she remembered. Once when she was still extremely young by some of the senior jedi, and the other while in the underground streets of Coruscant by some drunk pirates.

It surprised her to realize, however, that she didn't mind Bane calling her that.

Soon after, she heard the unmistakable sound of his snoring. She sighed, relieved he was finally asleep. The snoring, she figured, she could ignore.

The certain something pressing into her lower back, not so much.

...

* * *

Good God what is wrong with me. This chapter was the hardest to write. I had to keep going in and tweaking things. The result is, ironically, my favorite chapter so far.

Chapter 4 is the party (finally!). It'll probably be twice as long as all the others. After that there's probably one more chapter before this story comes to a close.

Lyrics from _"Line in the Dirt"_ by The Eels, one of my many cadsoka muses. ;-)

R+R please!

...


	4. circles interlude

_Dans le bleu - dans les milieux_

A Clone Wars fanfiction

Rated T

...

A/N: A HUUUUGE thanks to all my reviewers! Chapter three got an amazing response, and I apologize for making you wait so long for part four. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long.

Blackrose: Lol, I'm glad the length was perfect for you. Your consistant reviews for each chapter have really kept me writing. Thank you so much!

hoysterrule123: I'm so glad you're liking the story so much!

Zedax: lol, love your enthusiasm. Thanks for keeping up with the story

Anahita Unduli II: Thank you for the compliment! Keep the reviews coming

Ars Arpadok: I looooooove detailed reviews, so a great big thanks to you. I only hope you continue to read the story and offer your critiques all the more.

LynnyM: My favorite reviewer. Love ya babe

And to my anonymous reviewer who keeps going by different names, I appreciate your interest in the story, but please, one review is enough. Don't flood the review page, lol

...

* * *

...

Smoke drifted soundlessly from the celling of the tented room, falling in contented wisps around the duros on the animal skin carpet. He let another stream of the Correlian spice exit his lips before tapping the pipe against his knee in a random sort of rhythm.

Normally he didn't bother much with these spice houses, preferring to spend his credits on cheap tobacco instead. But they were a good opportunity to sit and think, which is precisely what he needed at the moment.

The shopkeep was an old Weequay man, nodding off into sleep directly across from Bane. Something clattered to his left and he turned lazily to find Alama rummaging around through the old man's various collectibles. They would run into each other occasionally by accident, and Bane took some strange comfort in knowing Alama might be the only other person slightly crazier than he was.

"So what about this girl?" the pirate turned to stare at Bane, simultaneously shoving coins and pins into his pocket.

"What about her..." Bane repeated incredulously, slightly annoyed for reasons unknown to him. He tapped some spice out of the pipe.

"I want her. Bad."

Alama was now looking at the shopkeep's liquor, uncorking various bottles and sniffing their contents.

"I've never wanted anyone 'dis badly..." Bane continued, more than aware he was now just mumbling to himself. He shook his head trying to clear it. The spice was getting to him. He tapped the rest of it out on the carpet. The old man was beginning to snore.

"Grab a pint?" Alama suggested. Bane noticed the boy's satchel was clinking from the stolen liquor bottles pressing against each other. He flicked out his knife and cut down a mask made from an Aqualish skull off the side of the tented room. It would look good on the hull of the Xanadu.

"Some other time."

* * *

_circles and circles and circles again_

_the girl's in circles and circles_

_got to stop spinning..._

_

* * *

_

Ahsoka couldn't stop staring at herself. The tiny mirror in the Xanadu's fresher hardly showed the entire ensemble, but even just looking at her face and exposed shoulders was enough. She looked like a completely different person.

She had put her headtails up in an elegant design and tied the tips of them together with her remaining padawan braid. The effect, she had to admit, was lovely, but it was very uncomfortable. _'Pain is beauty'_ she remembered one of Senator Amidala's handmaidens had told her once. She couldn't have described the situation any better.

She cringed and glanced down at her body once more. The dress was beautiful, but it was much too big. Her petite breasts were practically falling out and it hung much lower than her feet. It was already far too sheer, more than just a hint of her assets visible through the material. The thin strings at the top tied behind her neck in a knot, leaving her back completely uncovered. She wore simple gold sandals she thought looked great with her skin tone. Everything about it seemed to bombard her with new emotions she wasn't quite ready to face.

_'Force, I can't go out there looking like this!'_

With a grunt, she hiked the dress up enough so she wouldn't trip on it and walked out of the fresher toward her 'date.'

* * *

Bane couldn't stop starring at himself. He looked like a kriffing idiot. With a sneer and a growl he turned away from the filthy mirror, preferring rather to just lean against the wall and wait for his 'date' to emerge. He saw the door slide open halfway and then stop, a stream of light painting the floor. He saw the tips of her sandaled feet shifting nervously.

"Bane?"

"What?" he barked. "Are you done yet?"

"Almost..."

"What do you mean 'almost?' Get out of de' fresher."

The door lifted the rest of the way and she walked out slowly, apprehensively, holding the dress up with one hand. The back light from the fresher hit her hard and Bane couldn't quite make out her appearance as much as he would have liked. When the door closed, and she was plunged into the more flattering light of the main room, he was well aware of his jaw dropping.

She looked older, and yet the strange way the baggy material hung only accentuated her youth all the more. He'd known it was the right color for her, but he didn't know just how right he had been. The light hit the dress in just the right places, causing the sheer fabric to shimmer as it flowed. And her body... it was clearly defined under the dress, a beautiful silhouetted outline that was beginning to affect him more than he would have liked. He cleared his throat and forced one of his more generic expressions to cross his features. He didn't want her seeing just what she was doing to him.

She wrung her hands in front of her and looked down, "It's a little big. Uhm... I was hoping maybe you had something...?"

He arched a weathered brow, not quite following her at first. Assuming she meant a belt of some kind, he moved across the ship's living quarters and over to a storage closet. As he began to look, Ahsoka took the rare opportunity to examine him. She couldn't remember ever seeing him not with his holsters or his duster and hat.

He wore formfitting black pants and black boots up to his knees. He wore a cream colored long sleeve knit shirt with the buttons open up top, showing off his long neck and excentuated collarbone. The shirt hugged his abs and stomach nicely, showing Ahsoka what a nice body he really had. Over the shirt he wore a plain, deep blue blazer that looked to be made of some sort of skin. Ahsoka wasn't sure what kind, but it looked to feel soft and smooth.

She would have never been able to picture him in formal wear, but she had to admit he came to a flattering middle point. He looked... good. Great even. She was beginning to worry herself with these thoughts.

She was surprised when something was tossed at her from across the room. Catching it, she realized it was a hand woven belt that tied instead of snapped. She shrugged and began to tie it tightly around her waist, all too aware of Bane and his piercing gaze roaming over her body. When it was done she pulled some of the dress up and had it pool over the belt, obstructing it from view almost entirely. She could walk now without tripping over it, so that was good. But now the top hung even lower over her breasts. She covered her chest slightly with a hand, embarrassed. Bane seemed to tune into the reason for her discomfort and growled slightly.

"C'mere..." he waved her over but didn't even wait for her to move until he started walking toward her. Being close to him wasn't too much of an issue anymore, but Ahsoka still couldn't bring herself to look up at him as he stood in front of her.

"Turn around." He ordered. She did, already feeling her cheeks flush in embarrassment. Bane began to untie the knot at the back of her neck. A thick, permeating silence seemed to fill the room as the irony was not lost on either of them.

Bane tied the knot even tighter, noticing the goosebumps on the young girl's skin as his fingertips made slight contact. He left his fingers intwined in the string a few seconds longer than necessary, using the opportunity to take in the back view of the ensemble.

He knew it would look good on her, but gods be damned it was almost too perfect. He shook his head, amazed that he was actually taken off guard by all this. He was not a man who liked surprises.

The way she could revert him into some foggy headed fool just by standing there and looking good was starting to take it's toll on the duros.

What was wrong with him?

Feeling his jaw clench up at the thought of his weakness, he was almost unaware of his scared hands moving from the knot of the dress and onto her exposed shoulders. He gave them a tight, uncomfortable squeeze, watching with strange delight as she began to tense up. Feeling somewhat better and a little more confident, he took a step closer to her, just enough so she could feel the heat from his body, so she could feel him rock slightly into her.

"Do you have any idea -" , he pushed against her, "- what red does to me?"

She swallowed audibly, turning her head slightly to take him in before quickly turning around again. Oh yes, he liked this scenario much better. He squeezed her shoulders briefly before lightly trailing his fingers down her exposed back. He felt her shiver. A switch in control and he was back to feeling like his old self.

"It's a shame really..." he began, more than a hint of a condescending air to his voice, "dat chu're so thin. Men like curves, ya know..." He cocked his head to the side, amused at her slightly deflated posture. He ran one of his fingers ever so slightly under the opening at the back of the dress, feeling the smooth, hot skin of the top of her ass. Her sharp intake of breath was all he needed to start the night off right.

"Stop..." she said, with less bravado than she hoped, pulling away from him. He leered intimately at her, his eyes thin and his fangs bright against the blue of his skin. Her features softened slightly before morphing into a slightly more unsure expression.

"Um... I'll be in the cockpit..."

With that she hiked up the dress and moved out of the room as quickly as she could manage. Bane chuckled darkly, smoothing out his attire before lazily sauntering in to join her. Passing by the spot where she had stood, his eyelids twitched at a slightly strong and musky scent.

He paused.

One blessing and curse to all of the shady places he had to do his dealings in was the unmistakable scent of sex, filth, and pheromones in the air. It's the one thing that made him and others of his species such vigorous lovers, their over sensitive scent glands. When a partner (or in his case a one night stand), was in heat, he could pick it up in their bodily aromas, and it in turn sent him into a frenzied sex drive. And of course, gods help the man or woman he took an interest in during duros mating season. He was never sure if he anticipated or dreaded it. Either way it left him drained for weeks after, and left his "counterparts" with stories for the rest of their lives.

Standing where Ahsoka had been, the unmistakable scent of arousal wafted through his pores. He felt a growl in the back of his throat, along with his slacks becoming slightly tighter.

She was not going to make this easy for him tonight.

...

* * *

A/N: There will be one more chapter (a long one) and then a short epilogue hopefully. For those interested in the party outfits, I've provided a link to artwork of them in the reviews.


	5. dans le bleu part 1

A/N: Okay, here's the deal:

This and the next chapter to come are supposed to be considered one chapter, as it all takes place in one night. I've split it into sections: this one which is part one, and the next one which will be part two. It's just been taking me so long to finish it and I didn't want to keep people waiting any longer. Plus, it's almost 30 pages, and that seems a bit extensive for one chapter.

Part two will be the finale, and then an epilogue before this piece comes to an end.

Now, after a seriously-too-long-wait, _dans le bleu_ chapter five.

* * *

...

_**dans le bleu (in the blue) - A Clone Wars story**_

* * *

_Every girl wants to play dressup. And every girl wants a cowboy._

_..._

"if you don't treat me better

baby, i'll just run away"

...

The darkness of the Y'Tomb System was thick and permeating, and Ahsoka was almost certain she could hear the silence even over the hyper space shutting off in the Xanadu. Nal Hutta came into view like a terrible omen, large and imposing ready to swallow her whole.

Bane applied a few more basic controls before setting the ship into cruise mode. As the planet drew closer the cockpit began to glow an eerie purple shade, and Bane got up from the navigation chair and sauntered off towards a few cabinets in the back. As he passed, Ahsoka caught a glimpse of her padawan braid dangling limply from his belts, and she tensed. She risked a glance back at him, and saw him take a small shot of some spirits. She frowned. It wasn't as if she was terribly familiar with these types of parties, but even she knew the vast amounts of alcoholic beverages that would be served. As Bane placed the glass down she could see how violently his hands were shaking, and she became aware of just how bad he might have needed that drink.

"No funny business tonight, girl," he said, his attitude firmly back in place as he walked back into the cockpit. On his way he grabbed a small blaster she hadn't seen him use too often and placed it under his shirt, snuggly held at the small of his back. Ahsoka pretended she wasn't interested and instead began to examine her nails.

"Expecting trouble?"

He snorted, "always."

...

They landed in what Ahsoka could only assume was a giant swamp, it was too dark to view their surroundings while still being inside the ship. The young padawan had never been to Nal Hutta but had heard various stories by the other jedi. Master Obi Wan had told her about the large swamp lands and the polluted water that released a discolored sort of fog.

_"That's disgusting!" Ahsoka had said._

_ "Perhaps," Obi Wan had countered, "but you must remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One person's swamp is another person's glorious jewel."_

Now, being able to catch a view of the glowing palace in the distance, Ahsoka could almost see why someone would think it was beautiful.

"A palace..." Ahsoka breathed out in awe, starring intently at the illuminated structure.

"A Grand Council," Bane corrected, securely fastening a vibroblade to a holster on his boot.

"I've heard so many stories..." she continued, still staring out the ship as if mesmerized. Her face suddenly cleared. "Wait, why did you land so far away?" She turned to look at him, puzzled.

"Better not to draw attention..." he said, fishing around for something in a satchel by his feet.

"But this is all swamp land," she continued, "why do we have to walk through half a mile of this just to-"

She watched him pull out a device she had become all too familiar with; the electric anklet. She had to admit, she didn't mind it half as much as the jedi proof binders, but any object that blocked her connection to the force she could do without. This one had the added benefit of being custom made especially for the duros. It was linked up to his wrist guard, which meant if she wasn't behaving all he had to do was press a certain button and she got a quick dose of electricity.

He got up out of his chair and began to move towards her like this would be the easiest thing in the world. She jumped up, pressing herself against the wall of the cockpit. At her sudden movement he stopped in his tracks, his head snapping up to stare at her. His jaw stiffened.

"Let's not do 'dis tonight, eh sweetheart?"

One comment and she forgot any plans about getting out of this situation she might have had. That thought alone seemed to paralyze her. As he kneeled down and began to lift up her dress, there was only one thing in her head she knew was real.

"I hate you."

* * *

The closer they got, the louder the music became, and Ahsoka distantly wondered if they would play any traditional folk dances at this massive party. She was only briefly aware of knowing a few of them before she was taken from Shili, and that knowledge had inspired further interest in the native steps of her ancestors. She did research, looked up different steps, and she was proud to have become familiar with several of her people's native dances. The music she was hearing now, however, signified something else, and she was suddenly embarrassed. In her adolescent state she had only memorized one really popular dance among the coruscant youths, made popular by a famous Twi'lek idol. But it was considered "dirty" by some of the older generations and she would never dream of swaying in such a manner publicly. Maybe in the privacy of her room at the temple, but never here.

With her mind wandering and Bane walking at a significantly steadier pace than her (how he was able to saunter in his usual cocksure way through kriffing swamp ground she'd never know), she wasn't paying much attention to her footing until it was too late. An obnoxiously placed root caught her by surprise. She gasped more out of surprise then fear as she felt herself begin to topple forward.

"Watch it-"

Bane spun around quicker than she would have imagined, no doubt instincts from his years of bounty hunting, and grabbed her securely around the forearms even before she was halfway to the ground.

She was a little too shocked to move, and a little too overwhelmed to focus on exactly what was happening. She found herself concentrating more on the distant sounds of the exotic birds, on something very far in the distance snapping a twig in the vast and endless forest. Anything except the hands wrapped tightly around her.

"Uhm... thanks," she leaned backwards slightly, keeping her eyes on her shoes and the mud she was slowly sinking into. Bane sighed deeply, as if he believed it was the last time air would enter his lungs.

"Look at me." It was a command, it wasn't a suggestion. He sounded like his teeth were clenched, and his voice danced between a plea and a growl. Funny how he tended to do that; dance between two plateaus, as if they were exactly the same.

She looked up at him, and wasn't all that surprised at what she saw. He looked stern, like how she assumed a father would look. Not that she knew from experience. It reminded her of the way Anakin would look at her whenever she made a mistake. And that worried her.

"Be careful," he said, breaking her out of her chain of thoughts. "Don't want 'dat pretty dress to get all dirty."

She frowned. She was used to his sardonic ways of talking to her, but that didn't mean she had to like it any. It didn't help that his leer was back and he still had her arms in a vice.

"Mm," she said, not quite sure of what she should say. Although it seemed to her, he was waiting for her to say something.

He scoffed, clearly disappointed with her distracted response. She never knew exactly what he wanted.

_And they say women are hard to understand_, she thought. Aksoka was starting to believe it was the other way around.

"Turn around," he demanded. She was about to ask why and even opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She closed it again quickly and turned to face the other way. She heard him rummage around very briefly before his hands were intruding into her complicated up-do. She cringed.

"Bane, that hurts!"

"Almost done..."

"Done with wh-" before she could even finish the thought, it hit her.

As his hands slowly made their retreat, she gingerly brought her own up to investigate.

There, back where it belonged, was her padawan braid.

She was distantly aware of her bottom lip quivering, but she held back her emotions. She didn't want Bane to see just how important this was to her.

"I figured since you look so grown up tonight," he began, " 'dat you deserved to get 'dis back."

She nodded slowly, and then as an afterthought, opened her mouth to speak.

"Thank y-" she turned around to address him personally, but he was already a ways ahead of her.

* * *

Bane slowly released the breath he wasn't even aware he had been holding as he trudged quickly and distractedly through the swamp grounds. The mud made popping noises as the air bubbles released from the pressure his boots were causing. He thought morosely that the elements couldn't be good for the polished skin and hide of the shoes. Expensive though they were, he found he really wasn't too interested in that at the moment. His mind kept focusing on more pressing matters.

He risked a quick glance at the small togruta attempting to catch up to him. She held the hem of the dress in one hand while the other was held out all the way to her side in an attempt to keep her balance as she hopped and tipped through the swamp grounds. She kept her eyes on her footing and her face was the perfect mix between aggravated and contemplative.

It was kind of cute.

Bane repressed a groan as he turned back around, the signature scowl returning to his face. But the occasional, aggravated bouts of-

"_kriff-"_

_ "stang-"_

_ "son-of-a!-"_

-that he heard from behind him made the corner of his mouth start to turn upwards ever so slightly. If he was honest to himself, which wasn't very often, he would have to admit she made him laugh sometimes.

It was a troubling thought.

* * *

When they finally cleared the swamp and the guests and lights became all too clear and too close, time seemed to move much too fast for Ahsoka. She was aware of a slight tremor moving up and down her spine, along with her breathing becoming much quicker.

Good old nerves.

She compared it to the times when she and Anakin would finally emerge out of hyperspace to see the planet closing in on them, the particular mission clear in their minds. Except this time was a little different. She didn't have to think on it too hard before coming to the conclusion that it was because she knew she wasn't diving headfirst into her own, private adventure. She was diving headfirst into her own demise. She would emerge out of this like she always had in the past, but she had fought enough battles to know by now that tonight would cost her greatly. The open area started to feel much less vast all of a sudden. She couldn't have felt more closed up if she were in a metal box. She took one last glimpse behind her at the swamp disappearing from sight. It wouldn't strike her till later how ironic the situation was. She was walking into the lights, into life, and yet that felt like she was heading off alone into the wilderness more than anything. And yet her feet moved her forward, closer still to the bounty hunter.

The entrance to the palace (she would still call it that no matter how many times he corrected her) was huge, and in her mind she thought it looked more like a deep and extravagant tunnel. It was carved out of the polished stone the entire structure was made out of, and had quite an impressive array of guards on the outside.

Three Gamorreans (two of whom were in the middle of a drunken brawl on the ground) were placed at the entrance, while Ahsoka saw more of them placed around the structure at various points. She heard huttesse all around her, along with the occasional basic, and her eyes began to fall on some of the most beautiful and elegant female humanoids she had ever seen. Mostly Twi'lek, she noted, and she saw a good many of them wearing dresses quite similar to hers. She didn't have time to catch anything else before Bane had her arm in a tight grip once more and was pulling her along with him.

"Quite gawking," he hissed in her ear, before straightening up again. With a quick snap of his wrist he had yanked her even closer to him. He snaked his arm around her so that his hand rested on her opposite hip. He gave it a quick squeeze, but in that simple movement he said a whole number of things that were very clear to Ahsoka, the most prominent being:

_Tonight, you're mine._

They approached the guards, one of which had seemed to win the drunken brawl for the moment and was teetering slightly in place. Ahsoka glanced up at Bane and noticed he was sporting a very bizarre and awkward smile, which didn't seem to suit him in the least. She hadn't thought about it before, but she figured Bane must be almost as uncomfortable as she was.

"Let's see some proof," the guard directly in front of him slurred.

Bane flashed a toothy grin before reaching underneath his vest, pretending to look for something near the inside pocket. He put on an exaggerated expression of disappointment when his hand emerged empty of the holo-projector he had been pretending to look for.

"Sorry pal," he smiled up at the guard apologetically, "must've left it in 'de ship."

The Gamorrean growled under his breath and snorted right in Bane's face. "Well then you're not getting in you Neimoidian piece of tra-"

"_Schutta..._" The other guard whispered before punching his associate roughly in the arm, "_pee kasa Cad Bane..._" he said under his breath, nodding his head towards the duros. The one guard seemed to visibly pale before he and his friend uncrossed their vibro-axes and put them at their sides, opening up the vast and elaborately decorated tunnel for the two guests.

Bane mock saluted the two guards before dragging along a very stunned Ahsoka.

"You've got to be kidding me..." she breathed out.

The tunnel began to get wider and divided off into more and more sections. Ahsoka saw many more guests and was also aware of the music getting louder, the bass and rhythm pulsing through the floor. She felt the room expand before she even saw it as they rounded another corner. She looked up at the vast ceiling and all the extravagant lights. The room must have been a hundred feet high.

All around were people and humanoids in groups, conversing and drinking and laughing. As the two moved through the throngs on people, it got louder and more stuffy. Ahsoka made a face at the unmistakable scent of spice, cigarettes and liquor. They kept moving until the ceiling became even higher, and this was when she knew they were in the main room.

All along the north wall were djs blasting out the music, and then there was a slightly more narrow and long area toward Ahsoka's left that had all the food and drinks, not to mention various women in little to no clothing walking through the crowd with trays of liquor and appetizers. Ahsoka blushed a bright crimson when she saw one woman in nothing more than a thong made out of light, gold chains.

Ahsoka felt Bane place his hand on the small of her back, which she assumed was her cue to move forward. They wove through the crowd some more until they came to another long hallway in the back. There were less people and the music wasn't as loud while they began to walk down the hallway, so Ahsoka turned to address Bane.

"I've never seen anything like this..."

Bane looked down at her with disinterest, although she noted he still had his hand on her back.

" 'Chu never had parties at 'de temple?"

She shook her head, "Not like this. They were more like dinner parties. Political and stuff. And anyway, I was never allowed to go..."

Bane took his eyes off her and scoffed, " 'Dose stuffy jedi... don't know 'de first 'ting about having a good time..."

Ahsoka noticed they were nearing an elegant staircase. She turned back to Bane and frowned. "Well I didn't need to go to any to know they were better then this-" she swept her arm behind her to indicate were most of the party was taking place, "-debauchery and alcoholism-"

"Do you even know what debauchery means?" Bane asked her sarcastically.

Ahsoka sighed. They began climbing the stairs.

"Where are we going anyway?" She looked at him curiously.

Bane grinned. "I want'chu to meet someone."

* * *

A large, extravagant curtain was pulled aside for the two as they made it to the top of the staircase. On the other side was an impressively sized balcony with food and drink, various Twi'lek fan dancers lounging around, and another creature Ahsoka couldn't quite make out.

"Bo shuda, Arok," Bane spoke up.

The large creature turned around slowly and laboriously, and Ahsoka finally discovered it was a Hutt. She naturally tensed up.

"Bane?" the Hutt asked, moving away from the ledge and closer to the light. Ahsoka could soon make out it's features, and saw it was holding a cigar of sorts. Soon it's expression cleared and it let out a throaty bark.

"Bane! Chowbaso, Cad Bane!" It slithered over and enveloped Bane in what could only be described as a bone crushing embrace.

"Ouff!" Bane made a desperate noise as all the air was crushed out of his lungs. Ahsoka put her hand over her mouth to hide her smile.

Arok continued to speak in huttesse to Bane as it finally released him from the bear hug. Bane dropped a good couple of feet onto the ground and then steadied himself, trying to catch his breath and tenderly rubbing his injured ribcage.

"Tagwa," he choked out before finally regaining his cool demeanor. He spoke a few more words in huttesse, and although Ahsoka couldn't understand them, she knew that they were broken and sloppy.

Arok clapped it's grubby hands together and grinned. "Sit, stay, drink, eat!" It exclaimed in basic, no doubt taking some pity on Bane and his broken huttesse. It then snapped it's fingers and a young Twi'lek dancer came up to it's side. She looked terrified, and Ahsoka noted with appall that the dancer couldn't have been much older than she was.

"For you," Arok pushed the young girl towards Bane.

"Nobata," Bane said a little too gruffly, and perhaps a little too quickly. Ahsoka saw the Hutt take on an insulted expression, and was glad Bane changed the tone of his voice.

"I'm with 'dis young lady," Bane grabbed Ahsoka roughly by the forearm and dragged her to his side. "Best not to make her jealous..." he said with a lecherous smile. Ahsoka sneered, not too keen on where this introduction was going. She saw Arok narrow it's eyes and look her over with great scrutiny.

"This young harpy looks very familiar... are you sure she wasn't a dancing girl for us some time ago?"

Bane flashed a proud grin, "I doubt it."

"Bah!" Arok waved it's hand dismissively, "it's no matter... come! Sit up here with us and enjoy the show."

"I'm afraid 'de little lady has a sort of... fear of heights," Bane implored, glancing over at the ledge of the balcony and then quickly back at Arok.

"No I don't-" Ahsoka started, but Bane immediately cut her off.

"I'll go find us a spot downstairs to watch 'de festivities..." His smile looked forced and a little too wide. Ahsoka also noted with dismay that his grip around her forearm had gotten much tighter.

They shared a few more over zealous laughs in huttesse before Bane bid a goodnight to the hutt, the Twi'lek dancers oblivious as to who that duros was and why they should care.

Walking down the stairs again, Ahsoka noticed there seemed to be even more people than there were before, and that the lights had gotten slightly dimmer. Although one question seemed to entice her above all others. She turned to Bane,

"What's 'the show?' "

"Hhuurmph..." Bane just grumbled next to her, not really forming any words and not even bothering to answer her.

"Ooooh, so it's one of 'those' shows..." she smirked slightly and glanced quickly to the ground and then back at him. "You know, I like to think I'm awfully mature for my age. I could probably sit through something like that and not get too traumatized. After all, I have seen war and stuff. This can't be as bad as that, can it?"

"About 'de same." Bane said immediately and without hesitation, catching Ahsoka off guard.

"...Oh."

Their pace had slowed to a steady meander as Bane leaned in a little too close for comfort.

" 'Chur mood has improved considerably, youngling. What is it? Don't tell me you actually want to see 'de show..."

Ahsoka repressed her shiver as best she could at the feel of his hot breath close to her ear, but she felt her skin prick up with goosebumps regardless. She was pretty sure Bane noticed it too, his grip still tightly around her forearm after all.

"Anything to get you to calm down," she countered with a sneer, "I mean, it's a party! Don't you think you could just... you know, relax?"

"Every time I 'relax' I get caught wit' my guard down. And whatever happened to 'debauchery and alcoholism?' "

Ahsoka let out an exasperated sigh. Feeling she was on the losing edge of the argument, she decided to move on to another topic that was bothering her.

"And you wanna let go of my arm please?" She gave it a strong tug towards herself, noting with dismay that it didn't do much good. Bane just gripped it tighter and pulled her closer to him.

"No dice."

"Bane, I'm serious..."

"Oh, 'chur serious, huh?" Bane looked back at her with some amusement, and Ahsoka felt her blood boil. She dug her heals into the ground and watched with some satisfaction as Bane was caught off guard. He tried his best to keep dragging her along behind him but was getting annoyed at the added effort. He whipped around quickly and Ahsoka caught his eyes darting back and forth at a furious speed at the occasional humanoid that caught sight of their fiasco.

"Just what do you 'tink you're doing?" he growled. " 'Chur acting like a five year old!"

_A five year old? _She thought. She smirked and contemplated the most immature thing she could say at that moment.

"Takes one to know one!"

She watched with absolute pleasure as his jaw seemed to drop all the way to the floor and his eyes heat up with fury. It wasn't the worst thing she'd ever said to him - far from it - but she knew just the fact that she was having so much fun at his expense really got him furious. To add insult to injury, she stuck her tongue out.

"Did'chu forget about 'dis?" He hissed in her face, holding up his wrist guard and the button that was connected to her electric anklet. She glanced at the button quickly before meeting his stare again, a sultry smile playing on her lips. She stood on her tiptoes until her face was mere inches away from his own. She opened her mouth to speak but felt paralyzed for a few seconds. In that time frame, a whole mess of things shot through her mind:

_This is the closest I've ever been to him Ahsoka there's no going back now you got yourself into this mess oh force everyone probably thinks we're just gonna kiss he's gonna kill me say it say it you've come this far you just need to say it gods his body feels so warm don't think just speak you've caught him off guard just say it_

"You won't shock me," she whispered, surprised at how in control her voice sounded, "not with all these people around." She couldn't glance at all the other beings moving around her, but she assumed to them they just looked like two lovers caught up in the moment, instead of long time enemies doing battle in their own way. Maybe those two things weren't that different in the first place.

"How do'chu know what I'll do?" His voice was husky and strained, and his breath was hot on her face with the lingering scents of nicotine and spices. "I've surprised 'chu before, remember?" There was the slight ghost of a smirk that played between his lips, and she knew they were both thinking about the same instance. A cargo bay. Orange lights...

"You won't," she whispered back, noticing in the back of her mind how lidded and heavy his eyes looked, how he seemed to be leaning more forward and she more back. "Even you're not that stupid, Sleemo." She wondered if she looked similar at the moment; flushed, tired, out of breath. He had a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. He quickly swiped his tongue across his lips, and she noticed for the first time that they were so close now that it could have very easily touched her lips as well. She broke out in a cold sweat, when suddenly-

-she stepped back as he attempted to close the distance between them. His eyes shot open as he stumbled slightly for just a second before catching his balance. He looked at her with some shock and she tried to keep her face as neutral as possible. He shook his head and rubbed his temples, then rubbed his hand all the way down his face. He looked angry again, and opened his mouth to say something but she interrupted him.

"Let's go sit down somewhere and have a drink."

Another thing that caught him off guard, she reasoned. He looked at her like she was absolutely crazy. He must have realized his mouth was hanging open because he closed it suddenly with a quick snap of his jaw. Then, as if drained of everything, he closed his eyes and then lifted his brows in an almost apologetic expression, shrugging one shoulder slightly.

She took that to mean as close to a 'yes' in 'Bane-language' as she was going to get, so she gave a curt nod of her head and began to saunter past him. He moved to her side in less than a second and snuck his hand into the pooled material at the back of the dress. There he rested his hand on her opposite hip, and together they walked to the dinning hall, moving as one being, feeling more like his equal than she ever had before.

...

_to be continued..._


End file.
